Owing to its high content in organosulfur compounds, garlic (Allium sativum) possesses a unique flavor as well as anticancer and antioxidant properties. Whereas garlic is largely consumed, it is usually discarded when it starts to sprout green shoots out of the cove. According to a new study, however, throwing out sprouted garlic might be a mistake.

Jong-Sang Kim, Kyungpook National University, Korea, and co-workers demonstrated that five days sprouted garlic has a superior antioxidant activity than younger, non-sprouted bulbs. Furthermore, the scientists revealed that the sprouting period affects garlic metabolic composition as it increases healthy metabolites, such as spirostane-3,6-diol, 6-O-d-glucopyranoside (an antitumoral steroidal oligoglycoside) and γ-glutamyl-S-trans-1-propenyl cysteine (a major garlic metabolite and precursor of the organosulfur isoalliin).

Sprouted garlic may thus be healthier than the fresh one.

• Garlic Sprouting Is Associated with Increased Antioxidant Activity and Concomitant Changes in the Metabolite Profile,
  Alexandra Zakarova, Ji Yeon Seo, Hyang Yeon Kim, Jeong Hwan Kim, Jung-Hye Shin, Kye Man Cho, Choong Hwan Lee, Jong-Sang Kim,
  J. Agric. Food Chem. 2014, 62, 1875–1880.
  DOI: 10.1021/jf500603v